Icon-switching annoyance

This is hard to explain. I have a question about files and the icon that represents them in WINXP.

I have folders that contain many (hundreds) of photo and graphic files. I have Photoshop assigned to open those files, therefore the files are represented by the Photoshop eye. When I open a folder, however, all the files are at first represented by a DIFFERENT icon, then like dominoes falling over the icon switches, file by file, to the Photoshop eye. In Win 98, when I opened a folder containing photo files, the Photoshop eye was there from the beginning----there was no switching from one icon to another. Why are the photo files at first represented by another icon which then changes, file by file, to the correct icon? This happens no matter how many times I open the same folder, or any folder. A member of another message board told me how to edit the registry to disable the photo pre-viewer built in to WINXP and that has helped a lot because the icon change-over takes place much faster, but it still happens. The icon that has hold of my photo files when I first open a folder looks like this: The top half is white, a blue line across the center, then two or three different colored dots or symbols on the bottom half. I think it is the icon that is associated with files like ASA, ASP, CDX, DGF, DRV etc. I have noticed other icon-switching going on when I open folders too. It¡¦s very annoying. Is this normal for WINXP? If so, I may have to take ProzacÆ’º Thanks for reading, Buzz

PS Hi Newt. Haven't talked to you for a long time.

 

Try this little gem to increase the size of your icon cache file.
http://www.forrestandassociates.co.uk/pcforrest/reg_hacks.html#iconcache

edit, Ok Dokie, looks like old PC Forrest is down for a while. I'll look for another source for you. BRB

OK...Here's the manual method, if you're so inclined:

Using Registry Editor, add/change the Max Cached Icons string value with a value data of 2000 to the following registry key, and then restart your computer:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr
entVersion\Explorer
The Max Cached Icons value data range is between 100 and 4096. The default value is 500.

 

Zephyr-Come again?

Zephyr,

OK, I followed the registry path as far as current version/explorer, then lost the path. Can't find Max Cached Icons anywhere. Its not in Volume Caches and its not in a folder of its own. Where is it? OK, I might be a little slow Buzz

 

Sorry, I stepped away for a moment...Willy Nelson on T.V.

The string is inside the Explorer Key Folder..

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

You should find it by double clicking that Explorer folder. If the data string doesn't exist there, then create it. just right click the open area on the right side and select NEW > String Value, then name it Max Cached Icons, then double click that new string and enter 4096 for the new value. That should fix you right up. Reboot.

 

If you're paranoid about doing your own Registry work, here's some script that will do that job for you:

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Advanced\IconCache]
"Text "= "Icon Cache Size "
"Type "= "group "
"Bitmap "= "SHDOC401.DLL,6 "
"HelpID "= "update.hlp#51140 "

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Advanced\IconCache\Small]
"RegPath "= "Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Explorer "
"Text "= "1024 Icons "
"Type "= "radio "
"CheckedValue "= "1024 "
"ValueName "= "Max Cached Icons "
"DefaultValue "= "2048 "
"HKeyRoot "=dword:80000002
"HelpID "= "update.hlp#51140 "

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Advanced\IconCache\Medium]
"RegPath "= "Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Explorer "
"Text "= "2048 Icons "
"Type "= "radio "
"CheckedValue "= "2048 "
"ValueName "= "Max Cached Icons "
"DefaultValue "= "2048 "
"HKeyRoot "=dword:80000002
"HelpID "= "update.hlp#51140 "

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Advanced\IconCache\Large]
"RegPath "= "Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Explorer "
"Text "= "4096 Icons "
"Type "= "radio "
"CheckedValue "= "4096 "
"ValueName "= "Max Cached Icons "
"DefaultValue "= "2048 "
"HKeyRoot "=dword:80000002
"HelpID "= "update.hlp#51140 "

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Advanced\IconCache\Huge]
"RegPath "= "Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Explorer "
"Text "= "8192 Icons "
"Type "= "radio "
"CheckedValue "= "8192 "
"ValueName "= "Max Cached Icons "
"DefaultValue "= "2048 "
"HKeyRoot "=dword:80000002
"HelpID "= "update.hlp#51140 "

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer]
"Max Cached Icons "= "2048 "

Copy that and paste it into Notepad, save as somename.reg, then double click it. Confirm to allow it to merge to the Registry. Reboot. you'll be all set. That is the same script that PCForrest will have so you'll not only have a larger icon cache file right away, you'll have a menu on your My Computer > Tools > Folder Options > View > and scroll down to the bottom of the list, you'll see the new options for setting the icon cache size.

 

Willie Nelson

Thank you sir, I'll get the registry changed OK.

Better watch that Willie----he might be a bad influence on ya.

Buzz